Sectional cabinet.



W. T. HORMES.

' EcnoNA'L CABINET. APPLICATION FILED APR. 9. 1915.

, 1,1 90,1 79. I Patented July 4, 1916.

unrrrn srarns PATENT orrrcn.

WILLIAM T. HORMES, 01E GOVANS, MA RYLAND, A'SSIGNOIB. TO SOLOMON HIMMEL, F

' BALTIMORE, MAIB'YLAND.

SEGTIONAL CABINET.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. HORMES,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Govans, in the county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sectional Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improved sectional cabinet, of the type commonly employed in store furniture for the storage and display of articles of merchandise.

It has been common and well known practice, for many years, to construct library, oflice and store furniture of superposed in terchangeable sectional units, in the form of stacks, and to arrange a plurality of such stacks in series or alinement, to any number'or extent desired, according to various designs, conforming to the surroundings as well as the characteristics, of the space in which the cabinet is to be located.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide means whereby a plurality of stacks of units of the usual and well known sectional construction, may be rigidly and securely fastened together, in such manner that they will have the appearance of a single unitary structure.

A further object is to provide for the ready and convenient disengagement of the fastening means to permit the style and arrangement of the sections of the cabinet to be changed at will.

A further object is to provide means for preventing lateral displacement of the stacks with respect to each other, when the cabinet is in its assembled condition, and to add special stifl'ness to the stacks, at the same time permitting disengagement of the fastening means without the trouble and inconvenience incidental to the usual method of securing together the stacks and pilaster. The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a perspective View illustrating a display cabinet constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a detail horizontal sectional view of a portion of the base of the cabinet, illustrating units of adJacent stacks, and the means for uniting the stacks.' Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail front elevation of the basesof two adjoining stacks with the Q finishing strip removed. Fig. 4 is a. trans- Speeificationof Letters Patent.

Patented July 4., 1916.

verse sectional view of Fig.3 illustrating the method of attaching the finishing strip. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a portion of the top, of the stack, illustrating the means f0 connecting the tops of the stacks.

Referring to the drawing, three separate and distinct stacks 10, 11 and 12, are illustrated, each stack being formed of a plurality of superposed sectional .units, includmg a base section, a top section, and intermediate sections, arranged in a manner well known in the art. Gonformable with common practice, the character and arrangement of the sections may be varied at will.

When a plurality of stacks of sectionalunits are employed, as above described, the sections of each stack are placed end for end, with a slight space between the adjacent ends of contiguous stacks, as indicated at 13. To hold the stacks in proper relative position, filling members 15 are employed,

of suitable size to completely fill, from front to rear and from top to bottom the space 13 between two of the stacks, said fillingmembers having their front edges provided with widened portions to form pilasters 14. Thus it will be seen that there will be no chance for lateral displacement of the backs of the stacks relative to the front of same as is the case when a T shaped pilaster with a short rear portion is used. That the appearance of the fronts of the stacks be not marred by fastening elements showing, it

has been the custom to pass screws through the end wallsof sections and into the rear portion of the pilaster; hence, in order to disengage the stacks and units for moving, it has been necessary to remove all drawers, trays, containers and contents from sections before the screws could be removed. This occasions much confusion and labor, avoided by the construction of this invention. It will be apparent that the invention is equally useful whether a filling member be placed between stacks and provided with a pilaster or the stacks directly attached one to the other, although the using of the pilaster as described is preferred for reasons to be explained.

In order to maintain the stacks in a rigid condition, they are attached to the reduced filling strips 15. One means of attachin the parts is illustrated in thedrawings m consists in passing a bolt' 16, threaded at the adjacent end walls 17 of contiguousbase sections, and in a reduced portion of the lower end of the pilaster 14, the parts being reason of the filling member extending from front to rear of the stacks, also in one piece from top to bottom, it will readily be seen that the fastening bolts will bind the assembled units. rigidly and securely to gether. The interiors of the units need not be disturbed, either in assembling or disengaging, the recesses 19 each beingfa little longer than the full length of the bolts 16,

permitting ready insertion 'or withdrawal Without disarranging of the stacks, pilasters or units That the recesses 19 may not be seen after the stacks are assembled, facing strips 23are provided to detachably engage the said recesss and cover same.

. In practice, it is preferred to have the lower portion of each pilaster, where it is interposed between thebase units, to conform in width to the space 13' and'to be flush with the front surfaces of the bottom units, so as to provide clearance for thefac- .ing strip 23 which may extend throughout thelength of the alined stacks 10, 11 and 12. The lower end .of the pilaster'is. therefore reduced in width as shown in Fig. 2. For the purpose of' attaching the facing strip. in position, the same is provided with diverging clips or fingers '24, which engage undercut portions 25, of the Walls of the recesses.

19. Said recesses 19 are elongated and pro vided with chambers 26,'to permit insertion of the clips or fingers 24, and the top and bottom walls of the recesses are so shaped that when the clips orfingers 24 are inserted in the chambers 26, and thenthe facing strip 1s moved longitudinally over the faces of the base units, said walls will guide said clips'or fingers until they pass under the undercut portions 25. In this manner the bolts and nuts are hidden from view by the facing strip.

From the foregoing, it will be readily understood, that the sectional cabinet de scribed, may be readily assembled .or taken apart, and that when assembled a rigid, unitary structure is provided, which will not sway, the fillingstrips-or pilasters serving to maintain the sectional'stacks in proper alinement. Should it be desired to change the arrangement of the'stacks, or the units of any stack, the. facing strip may be readily V removed, and the stacks quickly separated and as quickly reassembled. 'It willbe understood, of course, that while the inventlon ammo v has been described as applicable to a plu rality of stacks of superposed units, the same is not limited in this respect, as it is equally applicable'to a plurality of alined units each consisting of a single unitary structure. I

It will be noted that while the recesses 19 are described as being located in the base sections, and the facing strip 23 is located at the base of the structure, the invention is not limited to this particular location of these parts, as the drawing and description are for illustrative purposes onlyyand the location of the recesses and the facing strips is a matter of choice.

Having thus explained the nature of my invention and described an operative manner of constructing and using the same, although withoutattempting to set forth all of theforms in which it may be made, or

all of the forms of its use, what I claim is 1. An improvement in sectional display cabinets comprising a plurality of spaced apart stacks arranged in alinement, a filling member interposed between-the contiguous ends of every pair of adjacent stacks and filling the space between said ends, said filling member being provided with a pilas ter portion, exposed fastening devices engaging the stacks and the filling member, to bind them together, and a removable facing strip covering said fastening devices.

2. An improvement in sectional display cabinets comprising a plurality of s aced "apart stacks arranged in alinement, a ling member interposed between the contiguous ends of every pair of adjacent stacks and filling the space between said ends, said filling member being provided with a pilaster portion, exposed fastening devices engaging the stacksand the filling member to bind'them together, a facing strip covering said fastening devices, and means for providing a slidable detachable connection between the facing strip and said stacks.

3. An improvement in sectional display cabinets comprising a plurality of spaced apart stacks arranged in alinement and rovidedwith recesses in their exterior aces, a filling member interposed between contiguous ends of every pair of adjacent stacks and filling the space between said ends, fastening devices located within said recesses and binding each pair of stacks and its interposed filling member together, said JLOI turbing the stacks or filling member, and a detachable facing strip coverlng said recesses. I

'4. An improvement in sectlonal dlsplay cabinets comprising a plurality of spaced apart stacks arranged in alinement and provided with recesses, in their exterior faces,

a filling member interposed between coni362 mitting inserting or withdrawing of the fastening devices without disturbing the stacks or filling member, and a facing strip having clips. on its inner face to engage the undercut portions of said recesses.

5. An improvement in display cabinets comprising a plural ty of spaced apart stacks "in almement and provided with recesses in their exterior 'faces,afi]lingmemberbetweeu contiguous ends of every pair of adjacent stacks and filling the space. between said ends, said filling member being provided with apilaster portion, bolts located in said 20 recesses and passed through" the end walls ofthe stacks andthe filling member of the interposed member, and an adjustable facing strip covering said recesses.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 25 my hand inpresence of two subscribing WILLIAM 'r. HORMES. 

